MLB: Chen’s scoreless inning streak ends

OVERTHINKING IT:：The Baltimore Orioles’ starter said he went ‘from outstanding to the worst’ in an 8-3 loss in Seattle, snapping his 13-1/3 scoreless inning streak

Staff writer, with CNA

Fri, May 03, 2013 - Page 20

AMERICAN LEAGUE

Chen Wei-yin of the Baltimore Orioles yielded five earned runs over four innings in an 8-3 loss to the Seattle Mariners on Wednesday, tying his shortest outing in the major leagues.

The Taiwanese left-hander entered the game with 13-1/3 scoreless innings, but struggled to maintain the stellar eight-inning performance he gave in a 3-0 victory over the Oakland Athletics on Friday last week in which his ERA dropped to 2.53.

“I don’t know what to say. I didn’t pitch well, that’s all,” the 27-year-old said after the game.

Chen’s scoreless innings streak stopped when Jason Bay knocked a double after a two-out single by Kendrys Morales and a walk by Michael Morse.

He gave up two more runs in the second after Jesus Montero reached third on a ball that center fielder Adam Jones dropped — his second dropped ball in a week — followed by two more singles. The Mariners added two more runs in the fourth on a two-out homer by Morse.

Throughout the four innings, Chen threw 93 pitches, gave up eight hits and walked six, with his ERA rising to 3.50.

The Mariners’ Aaron Harang, who entered the game with a 0-3 record and an 11.37 ERA, retired 12 of the 13 players in order in the first four innings and yielded two earned runs in his six innings pitched.

“From outstanding to the worst tonight, I tried to attack the zone today. I tried to throw first-pitch strikes,” Chen was quoted as saying on the Orioles’ Web site. “But I tried to think too much, I tried to attack both sides of the plate and it didn’t work at all.”

However, Jones tried to take responsibility, saying: “I could have helped limit his pitches. Tonight I failed him and I failed the team.”

The 16-12 Orioles will play a four-game series against the Los Angeles Angels in California starting yesterday and ending on Sunday.